Every time I post about Kobe Bryant on here, I get bombarded with negative email and comments. Seems as if I’m the only one who likes the guy (other than all those folks making his jersey the number one seller in the NBA again).
But the recent contretemps over Kobe’s diva-like behavior regarding his wish to be traded (as if) and the subsequent scurrying about by the Lakers to shore up their roster has sent my mind off in another (related) direction – how much money these dudes make. 64 million dollars in three years for Jermaine O’Neal??!!
It’s been thirteen years since the release of the documentary “Hoop Dreams,” which I liked a lot because I thought it was extremely well made and admired its message – that inner city youth were spending too much time aspiring to a career in the NBA and not enough time on something more realistic (like school). Unfortunately, like most well-intentioned movies, it apparently didn’t make much of a dent. And how could it – what with those salaries and the obvious corollary that playing basketball is probably a lot more fun than studying dentistry? Maybe we could Al Gore to make a doc about the perils of basketball – “Global Hoops!”
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5 Comments
1. Captain Hate:Danny Glover, Kobe…..
Roger, maybe you should ask us to vet your choices of who to regard favorably. Btw, post-Shaq Kobe has at least punctured the Phil Jackson Zen-Master balloon that he can win with anybody superbly talented: The next playoff series they win will be the first. The internet is full of noobs that think Kobe is better than MJ; it’s a lot of fun smacking them around.
Jun 2, 2007 - 12:41 pm 2. navyone:Kobe is an amazing basketball player, but a poor leader. I always feel like he sees himself as Michael Jordan II, doing that tongue thing like Mike used to do. But Jordan was a hell of a teammate. Look at how good he made Scottie, Grant, Kerr, and Paxton. I want AC, Coop, and “Big Game” James back. Oh and Rambis too. Now, that was a team. . . (I’ll take Magic as well.)
Jun 2, 2007 - 7:18 pm 3. Stace:Whatever.
My Spurs are fixing to win another one, wthout a bunch of drama, except we do have the Tony-Eva storyline to follow.
Jun 2, 2007 - 7:45 pm 4. Patrick Tyson:Michael is an adult. If memory serves, he was an adult when I first saw him 25+ years ago.
Kobe was an adolescent when I first saw him 10+ years ago and, emotionally anyway, he still is.
There’s always the chance that the Lakers will luck into another high-caliber player who’ll be able to play effectively with Kobe for an extended period of time, but I’m not expecting to see the Lakers playing again for the Championship while he’s a Laker. By this time last year I was on the Dwyane Wade-Shaq-Pat Riley-Alonzo Mourning-Jason Williams bandwagon and this year I’ll be backing LeBron and the Cavs.
Go Cavs!
Jun 2, 2007 - 10:13 pm 5. shockcorridor:Ah give this Philly boy a Kobe opportunity! Where to begin: arrogant spoiled jerk smug idiot POS and any and every assorted degrading adjective. Jesus Allah Buddha rain ill fortune and Job-like suffering upon this tasteless individual! A pox on his house! Legions of fatwas upon him! Stupid brat.
Jun 4, 2007 - 8:59 pm